Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Truth be told, I was never a beer kind of girl - if any of you readers have had the (blessed!) chance of seeing me at a party, I’m always the one with the outfit-coordinated fruity cocktail in hand. Therefore, when the invitation to attend a Harpoon Brewery beer tasting at Morton’s Steakhouse arrived in my inbox last week, I was slightly hesitant to accept. However, after speaking with some of my beer “enthusiast” friends about Harpoon, they convinced me that I should go – as Harpoon is one of the leading craft beer brewers in the New England area. Plus, as a good foodie (or in this case drink-ie?), it’s my job to be adventurous and expand my palate :)

When I arrived, I was greeted with an ice bucket filled with different types of Harpoon beers – which was intimidating for me (the last beer I had was a Bud Light back in college). But my fears were assuaged, by the gentle voice and knowledgeable brain of Bill the bartender/Harpoon brand rep and his assistant. Bill (patiently) described each beer to me before I imbibed – noting each flavor profile, how the beers were brewed, and what foods each beer should be paired with.

My favorite (and apparently the crowds as well) out of the beers I sampled was Harpoon Octoberfest, a seasonal brew which was the least bitter out of all the offerings. The Octoberfest beer was also darker in color than the rest – which I learned was because it was blended from Munich, chocolate, and pale malt. Wait - chocolate in beer? No wonder it had a slightly sweet aftertaste! [Ed Note: Awesomely informed reader Kerri emailed us after we posted this article intially and noted that chocolate malt in beer means that the barley is roasted to a certain color...it isn't actually chocolate. Though the chocolate roasted malt does have a slight chocolately flavor, it's more just roasty tasting, and helps the beer color get darker...Thanks for the clarification Kerri!]

Along with the beer, passed hors d’oeuvres from Morton’s bar menu floated around on trays carried by fully suited up waitresses and waiters. I do want to mention that this event was held outdoors on Morton’s patio when the weather was a scorching 90 degrees, so the last thing I wanted to do was imbibe on heavy and rich foods. But one look at the mini cheeseburger sliders, and the heat miraculously dissipated. These babies were as beautiful on the outside as on the in – the lightly toasted bun combined with the thick juicy patty melted in my mouth. Mmmm Mmmm Toasty!

The other apps were good, but pretty standard. Among the offerings: Chicken Goujonettes (sounded fancy, but basically were fried chicken strips), a cheese platter with crackers, and cheese covered potato skins.

Although I wished the tasting was organized as more of formalized sit down type event versus a cocktail party setting (I really wanted to learn more about the Harpoon beers and craft beers in general, but it was hard to chat with Bill the bartender when all the other guests were clamoring for drinks), I was really happy with this introduction into the world of craft beers. Good food and good drink – can’t think of a better way to spend random Thursday night!